SIX NINETEENTH CENTURY JERUSALEM MOTHER OF PEARL CARVED SHELLS OF RELIGIOUS THEME

SIX NINETEENTH CENTURY JERUSALEM MOTHER OF PEARL CARVED SHELLS OF RELIGIOUS THEME

comprising a roundel carved with the Resurrection flanked by various scenes from the life of Christ within a giltwood frame (16cm wide), a carved and pierced depiction of the Last Supper after Leonardo (17cm wide), a carved relief of St Giuseppe, a relief of the Nativity, a relief of the Annunciation and a relief of the Crucifixion,

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For similar depictions, see the Bowers' Museum, California, Inv. No. 31521. These carved shells are pilgrimage souvenirs, and the Bowers' Museum states, 'Though it lacks any sort of markings aside from the city name, this piece is stylistically highly consistent with other mother-of-pearl keepsakes dating from the 19th Century'. Mother of pearl was commonly used in decoration produced in the Holy Land as the shells were left over from clam fishing in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

Provenance: Marie-Claude Fabius, a respected London antique dealer, was passionate about her treasured shell collection, amassed over many years. She descended from a long dynasty of famous Parisian antique dealers.